August 20th, 2005
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As summer will soon come to a close, please remember to be careful at night. Remember to lock your doors, and don't walk alone at night.... blah blahblah blah....

You tune out the rest of the news radio broadcast. Currently, you're sitting outside in your backyard, swimsuit and shades on. It's the hottest it's been all year, and you had the grand idea to sit outside in the sprinkler. As it rotates, you sigh in delight as the water droplets smack across your skin.

The scabs on your knees now healed, and the wound on your nose has faded into a faint scar. Ever since that day that Bob came over and brought you dinner, you haven't hung out with him since. You try and text him, but he always says he's busy at work. And when you go into Boys and Grills to visit him, he doesn't talk to you as much as he used to.

You wonder what you're doing wrong. Are you guys still even friends? You hope he's doing okay mentally.

Stretching your legs, you stand. There's no use to mope right now. He'll come around eventually.

Walking inside, you strip off your swimsuit and hop in the shower. In 30 minutes you're supposed to meet Lila at her house for a year end summer barbecue. She told you that quite a few neighbors would be there, and that there would be food, and games. You couldn't turn down the prospect of either of those, so you agreed to coming.

Washing your hair, you suddenly remembered that you agreed to bring the fruit salad. Panicking, you quickly wash off and get dressed.

Padding into the kitchen, you reach up on your tallest shelf and grab the biggest glass bowl you have. Turning around, you set it on the kitchen counter. You precut the fruit last night, so all you have to do is put it in the bowl. Strawberries, grapes, bananas, oranges, and kiwi all go into the bowl, creating a beautiful rainbow concoction.

Satisfied with your work, you quickly wrap some foil around the top of the bowl. Now you're ready to go! Slipping on your sneakers, you grab your fruit and leave your house. You walk over to Lila's, noticing that there are already quite a few cars parked outside her house.

Quickening your pace, you walk up to her door and knock. Skid opens it and looks at you.

"Hi skid. Is your mom home?" You ask, looking down at him.

He smiles. "MOOOMMM!!!" He screams, keeping eye contact with you.

"Son! What did I tell you about yelling in the house!" Lila responds, walking up to the front door. Lila spots you, and engulfs you in a one sided hug.

"(Y/N)! It's so good to see you!"

You smile and hold up the bowl. "I brought the fruit salad!"

Lila smiles. "Awesome! I'll show you where to put it." And gestures forward. "Come on!"

You follow her. As you both walk out to her backyard, you notice that quite a lot of people are here already - most of which you don't recognize. They must be Lila's friends and family. Lila points over to a table with food already on it. "Just set it over there! We're going to eat soon once everyone gets here."

You nod and set the bowl down on the table, removing the foil. You get a good look around. There's a few kids, maybe a few elderly people, and mostly adults. You look towards the barbecue. Walking forward, you look at the hamburgers currently sizzling on the grill. Isn't there anyone watching these? They might get burn-

"(Y/N)."

It's a deep southern accented voice, and you know exactly who it is. Turning around, you meet face to face with Bob.

"Bob! I haven't seen you in a while!" You say, smiling at him.

He looks away and nods. Suddenly the air is extremely tense.

You open your mouth to speak. "Is there something I did wrong? You won't talk to me. Are we still friends-?"

You're cut off by Lila. "Okay everyone! Dish up!"

Bob is looking away from you. You decide to give him some space, so you make your way over to the food table.

Is it something you said... or did? You can't remember ever doing anything to make him mad. Unless he just didn't tell you out of being nice. Frustrated, you grab a plate. Suddenly being here is just making you upset.

You grab a hotdog and some potato salad. You sit farthest away from where Bob is BBQing, and poke at your food. You've always been a people pleaser, so it makes you incredibly upset to know that you may have done something to upset Bob. If you did... it was never your intention to hurt his feelings.

Still poking at your food, someone sits beside you. Looking up, you notice that it's Jack!

"Hey (Y/N)! Long time no see!" Jack smiles. You're guessing he's off duty today, because he's out of uniform. "How are your legs holding up?" He points at your exposed knees.

You laugh. "They're okay! Thanks for asking. I didn't know you'd be here!"

Jack smiles. "Yeah! It's my day off today. Figured I'd do something fun." He takes a bite of his hamburger. "Plus, I get to enjoy summer for at least a day. It's nice."

As you and Jack are conversing, Bob takes a glance at you. You're talking and laughing with.... Another man. The police officer.

Suddenly, Bob doesn't feel so good. He feels... angry? Sad? Either way, he doesn't like the fact that police officer is chatting with you like you guys are besties.

Is this what jealousy feels like...? His eyes darken.

"Bob? You're burning the burger." Says a passerby.

Bob turns and looks at the burger. Fuck.

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"And then.... He fell down the stairs!"

"HAHAHAHA!!!"

You and Jack double over in laughter. You both have had a few drinks, lunch long gone and finished. You're really liking Jack. He's funny, and nice. You just told him about a funny story with one of your patients, and he finds it absolutely hilarious.

Jack puts his hand on your shoulder. "(Y/N), your surgical residency seemed like a fucking nightmare." The younger man says between giggles.

You giggle as well, unaware that Bob had been watching you both now for quite a while. He sees every time Jack looks at you, touches you... it's extremely aggravating to say the least.

Would the town miss a cop...?

Yeah. Probably. He still wants to kill Jack though.

"Oh man, then this one time..." you lean over and whisper in Jack's ear, what you're saying unintelligible to Bob.

That's it. He can't take it anymore.

Walking up to you and Jack, Bob looms over both of you menacingly.

Jack looks up, a little frustrated that this guy interrupted their conversation.

You look up as well. "Bob? Is everything okay..?"

Bob says nothing as he grabs your hand. You squeak as you're pulled onto your feet. "Huh-?"

"Hey!" Jack says, shocked. Bob is currently pulling you away.

You look back at Jack and mouth, "it's fine" as Bob pulls you inside. He's holding on to your arm a bit roughly, so you try and pull away, but that just makes him hold on to you harder.

"Bob. You're hurting me."

He says nothing. The two of you eventually reach an empty room, and Bob closes the door behind you two. Observing your surroundings, you quickly realize that you're both in Lila's room.

You turn to Bob and blurt out, "I'm sorry about anything I did or said. I never meant to hurt your feelings."

Bob sighs, pointedly avoiding your gaze. "It's nothing you said or did, (Y/N). Trust me."

You step closer to him. "Okay? Then why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been avoidin' you."

"Yeah you have. You don't text me, or come over anymore. And every time I come to Boys and Grills, you don't talk to me."

"Okay? I'm just doin' my job."

You sigh. You don't want to make this into a huge thing. "Listen Bob. If you don't want to be friends anymore, that's fine. But I want you to stop leading me on like a puppy. Just out right say you don't want to be friends. Is that too much to ask for? Proper communication?" Your face is flushed now, and you're visually upset.

Bob scrunches his eyebrows, also upset. "(Y/N), darlin', I still want to be friends." He puts his hand on your shoulder and you don't look at him. "I've just been dealin' with some stuff recently. That's all."

You frown. "Well.... You can tell me what's bothering you. I'll listen. That's what friends are for."

Bob shakes his head. "I... don't wanna tell you right now."

"Okay...." You sigh. "Can you just... let me know next time if you need space? Instead of leaving me in the dark?"

Bob is smiling now. "Of course." He steers you towards the door, his hand on the small of your back. "Let's get back. I'm starvin.'"

"Okay. You haven't eaten yet?"

As the two of you walk back to the party, something in your peripheral catches your eye. It's a picture frame. You want to look at it, but Bob is already leading you back outside. You'll take a glance at it next time you're over at Lila's.

"(Y/N!) I was looking for you! Are you alright?"

It's Jack. Even though he's pretty tall, he still has to look up at Bob, who is taller than him. Bob is unable to hold back the scowl that makes its way onto his face.

You smile, unlatching your hand from Bob's. "Yeah. I'm fine, everything's okay." You begin to step outside. "Wanna make some s'mores?"

As the two men watch you walk away, they glance back at each other. Bob, with a face of utter disdain, walks past Jack over to you. He slams the sliding door shut.

...what's this guys problem?

Swallowing, Jack meets you outside.

The heat has died down, and the sky is painted with pretty orange and purples. You're sat next to Bob around a campfire. There are many other people laughing and talking, some roasting marshmallows. Jack notices that there's an empty seat to the right of you, and sits down. The two men are now on either side of you.

You hold out a marshmallow. Mouth full, you ask, "m want one?"

Jack giggles and takes the sugary treat from you. He pops it into his mouth, making it a point to stare directly at you while doing so. You laugh and smack his arm playfully.

Bob notices this, fists clenching. He cannot freak out right now.

You finish your marshmallow. The sun has gone down a considerable amount now, and you notice it's begun to get chilly. Man... you should've bought a sweater. Hugging yourself, you bring your knees up to your chest.

Bob, of course, notices this - he's been watching you the whole time - and unzips his hoodie. He slips it off, and puts it over your shoulders. It's warm, and smells just like him.

You look over at him. "Bob, you didn't have to do that."

He smiles at you. A genuine smile, his face lit up by the fire. "I was hot anyways."

Hmmm... okay. You glance over at him. Now, he's wearing a t-shirt, exposing his hairy arms. He glances at you and you quickly look away, face red. You stick your arms through the sleeves of the sweater, the rest of the fabric hanging off you considerably.

Jack is watching all of this, eyebrows raised. He's not blind. What's going on between you two....?

"Anyone want a drink?" Lila holds up a bottle of Chardonnay. Grinning, you raise your hand.

"Me please!" You think it would be nice to get a good buzz going on.

Several others raise their hands, and Lila passes around the bottle of wine as everyone fills their cups.

You nurse on yours, eyes on the fire. Jack takes a sip of his and points at it. "Wow, this is pretty good!" You smile and nod, agreeing with him.

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As it gets deeper into the night, you have a considerable buzz going on. You're all giggly and goofy, (more so than usual) and constantly losing your balance.

Mostly everyone has left already, save for about 5 people sitting and chatting quietly by the fire. You flip open your phone and check the time. 10:30 PM....

You look over to Bob with tired eyes. "Are you working tomorrow?"

He shakes his head. "No, I don't work Sundays."

Oh okay. You should've already knew that. You lean over and look at Jack now, asking him the same question.

"Ah... yes I am working tomorrow. I get one day off a month." Jack says, looking at you.

"What the fuck? One day off a month?" You ask, dumbfounded. "That's.... um.... very inhumane."

Jack shrugs. "There's only two working police officers in this town anyway. Im just lucky to be one of them."

You nod, downing the last of your drink. "Im sorry boys, but I think it's time for me to head home." You stand, wobbling a bit. You put your hand on the top of Jack's head for support.

Jack stands, and holds his arm out to yours. "Me too. Want me to walk you?"

Oh no. Bob can't allow that.

Standing, Bob sighs. "I can walk them home. It's fine." He grins, eyes lidded.

Jack squints. "Um. (Y/N). Do you want him to walk you?" Jack points to Bob who's smiling slyly.

You look over at Jack. "Thank you for the offer Jack," you look over at Bob as well. "...and Bob. But I'm an adult, I think I can walk myself home." You sway a little bit, and Bob grabs your arm to balance you.

You wave bye to Jack. "Bye Jack. Have fun... fighting crime."

Jack smiles. "I will. Thanks for hanging with me tonight (Y/N). I had a good time."

"Me too."

And at that, you walk away. You say bye to Lila, June, and some of Lila's family members. You go to open the door, but you're stopped by a hand grabbing yours.

"(Y/N)." It's Bob.

You groan and turn to look at him. "Ugh... I told you Bob.... I can walk myself home." You turned to him a little fast however, as you lose your balance and lean into him. You grabs the sides of your arms.

Bob sighs. "I don't want you walking home alone at night. Especially drunk."

"I'm... not drunk."

Bob looks at you incredulously. "Okay. But I'm still walking you home." As Bob says that, he reaches down, picks you up, and slings you over his shoulder.

Too weak to kick or squirm, you tiredly groan "nooooo" and, "I live two seconds awayyyy...." in protest. His hand is on the your waist, and Bob opens the door, walking you both out.

It's cold again, and the air makes goosebumps appear on your exposed legs. Bob is trying extremely hard not stare at your body, and keeps his gaze straightforward. You're mumbling some nonsense as Bob walks the both of you up to your doorstep.

He sets you down. You stare at him, a slight pout on your face.

He looks at you and holds his hand out. "Key."

Groaning, you reach into your pocket and hand him your house key. You don't question why he wants to unlock the door, because you can do it yourself. He gently kicks the door open and picks you back up again. You don't protest this time, because he's warm and you hate walking anyways.

Bob carrys you down the hall into your bedroom. He bends down and sets you gently onto your bed. You flop down onto it, already wanting to fall asleep.

Bob says nothing as he slips your shoes off for you. He's never been in your room before. Realizing this is strangely intimate, he quickly puts a blanket over you. Your eyes are already closed.

"(Y/N)."

"Hmmm....???" You groan, eyes still closed.

Bob smiles, switching off the light switch. "Goodnight."

Turning, he walks out of your bedroom. He doesn't exactly want to leave you alone tonight. Would you be mad if he slept on your couch?

He decides not to debate it further as he kicks off his shoes and lays down on the couch. You're probably going to sleep in tomorrow morning anyways, so he'll have time to explain everything to you.

Yawning, Bob grabs the nearest blanket and pulls it over his body, drifting off to sleep.

Maybe he'll make breakfast in the morning?

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